Little Mermaid
by LePetitDuchess
Summary: Tachibana Makoto was really just an ordinary boy. He had a wonderful family and had great friends. He believed he was ordinary and admittedly, rather bland by all definitions. So what's with this mermaid who seems so intent on following him? Warnings of OOC-ness and bad stuff with first stories. HaruxMako
1. Splash

_****__**Summary: Makoto was really just an ordinary boy. He had a wonderful family and had great friends. He would admit he was pretty bland by all definitions. So what's up with the mermaid that seems so insistent on following him? HaruxMako (I think)...**_

_**Just as a head's up, I haven't actually watched all of Free!...Yeah, shame on me, just haven't had the time. So if there are some errors in what should be said or how a character should be addressed, a little tip would be appreciated. Beware of OCC-ness! Again, haven't watched the whole anime so I'm probably a little shaky on characterization. **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Free! **_

_**[4/8/2014] This is a revised version of Chapter 1. Thankfully with less mistakes and better things in general. And I have finished Free! sorta. It's so...so...just so many innuendos that it feels like every pairing is canon. **_

_**This has been revised by fabulously fabulous beta-reader: Know-Your-Place. **_

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Tachibana Makoto was an ordinary boy. He went to school, had a good family and loyal friends. All in all, he lived a fairly mundane lifestyle, although this was fine by him. He enjoyed the peace and quiet. It was summertime and he wouldn't have to return to school for another three weeks. Another three weeks before the swimming club could continue. He wasn't particularly close to his members except for a few.

Hazuki Nagisa and Ryugazaki Rei. The bubbly blonde and the studious boy were actually a year younger than him, but they had grown up together and became very, very close. It was a shame, however, that they had become a trio instead of the group of four they once had during their middle school years. The missing teen, Matsuoka Rin, had left for Australia to study abroad. They didn't leave on very good terms either, and the gap he left was keenly felt.

Ah, but today is not a day for brooding about the past! Let's continue with the story, yes?

Our story begins on the Hazuki family's boat….

Makoto was leaning on the ship's railings, staring out into the sea. It was just the three of them out here, and Nagisa, being filthy rich, had taken out his family's personal yacht out today. Nagisa went inside doing god knows what while Rei was keeping an eye on the wheel. Even though it was automatic, Rei watched the controls and wrote down notes obsessively. Makoto always believed the boy might have been a little OCD,] but said nothing of it. After all, Nagisa wasn't very good with directions and his earlier reassurances weren't exactly reassuring at all…

_Earlier:_

_It was a beautiful day. Rei and Makoto were studying… or more like Rei was lecturing while Makoto daydreamed about ice-cream and swim club. Rei was forcing him to study with him, despite just getting out of school for break. They were at the park, which was fairly small. A colorful playground set was in the middle of it. Kids screamed and laughed while the occasional jogger or dog owner passed by. They were sitting a little away from the play area, at round tables underneath a copse of trees. It was fairly warm and a nice breeze blew in. It would be altogether very enjoyable if he wasn't here with chemistry lessons being crammed down his throat. There was an ice-cream shop not too far from here… ice-cream sounded really, really good right now._

_"Hey guys!"_

_"Hi, Nagisa-san!" Makoto was grateful for any distraction the bubbly teen could offer. Please, please save me, Nagisa-san! Makoto thought to himself, hoping that Nagisa could read the dire plea in his head._

_"Afternoon, Nagisa-san, are you going to join us in studies? We can't let you slack off and make all that tutoring go to waste, now can we?" The austere teen pushed up his trademark red glasses, a determined spark in his eyes._

_"Naaah, wanna go swimming? We can take my parents' boat out to the ocean! And I've found this really cool place last time we went fishing, I'll show you guys! It'll be really, really fun!" the blonde spoke rapidly, and then he paused, "You know what? Let's go now!" The bubbly boy grabbed Rei's book bag and began running off towards the park swings._

_"H-hey! Nagisa-san, give it back!" Rei yelled and bolted after him. Despite being a complete clutz and a slowpoke in swim club, Makoto had to admire the black-haired male's speed and grace. On land, he carried himself with elegance, but in water, not so much._

_Makoto sighed and stared up into the clear, blue sky. This was going to be a long day, but it wouldn't be without its excitements._

"Nagisa-san, are you sure you know where we're going… ?" the green-eyed teen stared worriedly at the aforementioned blonde, who seemed unfazed by the fact that they seemed completely lost.

"Of course I know where it is! It's just another few minutes, give or take a few, we're almost there~," Nagisa said in a carefree, sing-song voice. He toyed with the metal wheel, making the boat lurch every so often that the brunet thought he would fall over or puke. Whichever came first. Thankfully they were in the captain's cabin, or else Makoto really would have fallen out of the boat by now.

"Nagisa-san," Rei groaned, "don't you even have a map to this 'special place'? For all we know, we could be on our way to Hawaii right now! Judging by our coordinates and the velocity of the winds combined with the speed of the boat, we'll be heading towards-"

"Oh, don't be such a worry-wart Rei-chan, think of it as an adventure!"

The bespectacled boy threw his hands up in the air, "This is what I get for letting down my guard and taking a nap! An adventure my a-"

Makoto sighed as the two bantered back and forth. They were just so immature… they were only a year apart so they shouldn't be this childish. He looked out the window, the shimmering ocean seemed to go on forever, and he shivered. He remembered when he was kid, he would hang around this kind old fisherman. The man gave him a pair of goldfish one summer, and then disappeared a few days later, apparently lost in a storm at sea. Ever since, Makoto had been a little nervous around the open water. He was older now, and his childhood phobia was reduced to a slight uneasiness. But it was this nervousness that kept him from coming to the sea as often as his friends would like.

He was broken from his reverie as he noticed a dark shape appear on the horizon. He squinted, shading olive green eyes from the light to make sure that he wasn't seeing mirages.

"Hey…" the older male said, trying to get their attention, but Rei was in full-lecture mode at the moment.

"Going someplace without even-"

"Rei…"

"I know where I'm going!"

"Nagisa…"

"As if!"

"Why can't you have a little bit more faith in me, Rei-chaaan?"

"You're too careless! Please, for the love of-"

"HEY!" The two whirled around to look at the older teen, who redirected their attention to the black crags that grew larger as they approached. Nagisa slowed down the boat as they got closer and dropped anchor.

"This is it! This is the place I was talking about!" the bubbly boy said excitedly. The rock was definitely impressive, if not imposing due to its size. It seemed to jut out of the ocean unnaturally, like a dagger stuck in the heart of the sea. I should become a writer if I can think of something so cheesy, Makoto thought to himself and snorted quietly.

"Since we're here, everyone has to strip!" Makoto and Rei turned slightly red at the declaration, though the brunet thought the black haired boy blushed more at Nagisa's shameless stripping. After changing into their swimming trunks, they went to the docking station, and out the bridge into the water. With a loud whoop, Nagisa ran down the ramp and dived into the water.

Rei followed suit, without the whoop of course (that would be un-beautiful), jumping in as gracefully as he could; which was pretty much a belly flop into the water. So much for a beautiful landing, Makoto supposed.

The brunet dove in last, entering the water almost noiselessly with practiced ease. He opened his eyes to see the endless blue that was the ocean. The absolute calm in what felt like a silent abyss made him feel more alone than before, and he quickly rose to the surface.

"Hey, you know, there's a secret passage through the rock," Nagisa said, talking as if it were some big secret and there were people around to hear. "It's underwater, but once you get inside, it looks amazing."

"Are you really sure there is such a thing as an underwater passage here?" Rei asked skeptically.

Ever the peacemaker, Makoto broke in, "How about we just look around? It couldn't hurt to try. Right, Rei-kun?"

Rei only grunted in response. Nagisa perked up immediately and began dragging Rei away with more enthusiasm than before. The brunet sighed and followed them at a more sedate pace, wondering when the golden trio had become more like the golden duo. He supposed it would have happened sooner or later, considering the age gap. They were all childhood friends and he would stick with them more than classmates in his own year. Perhaps he should start venturing out to talk to others. If he could be just a little less clumsy and awkward, then maybe…

"Okay, we're going to go under here. You listenin' Mako-chan?" Nagisa called out, waving for Makoto to come over.

"Ah, yeah, I'm coming!"

They were all led underwater, and quickly found a dark tunnel, showing that the blonde really did know where they were going after all. After passing through, the opening they entered took their breaths away. Underwater was a great coral reef, a mere 10 feet below them. A rainbow of colorful fish and coral glowed below, not unlike those picturesque photos people liked to scam tourists with. Except this was the real deal. Oddly enough, the cave's walls jutted out in such a way to make a small resting place for them. They admired the cave's beauty, noting that the cave had to at least be the size of their school swimming pool. Upon climbing up, the brunet also noticed that the cave was brightened by natural light from the opening in the ceiling. A perfect circle.

"This is amazing, Nagisa-san!" Makoto said in awe, how the careless blonde managed to find this was a miracle. Rei nodded in agreement.

"I know, I know," Nagisa's smile grew wider, "and I don't think anyone knows about it! It can be our special place." And with that, Nagisa dropped back into the water, splashing specifically to get the two other males wet. Shortly after, an all-out water fight began. It wasn't until late afternoon that they decided to go back, considering how long it took to get there.

As they swam out and pulled up onto the boat ramp, Rei groaned and slapped his forehead in frustration. "I can't believe it, my goggles are gone! Of all the things I could lose!"

"Now, now, it's okay," Nagisa said, patting him on the back, "let's just go back in-"

"You saw that reef! It'll take forever to find it, if it dropped in there!" Rei pulled at his hair and groaned. "Whatever, let's just go back. It's way too much trou-"

"I'll get it." Makoto interrupted suddenly, making the other two stare at him. He gave the younger teens a winning smile, "Don't worry, Rei-kun, I'll be back in a flash!" And he jumped in before they could say otherwise.

It was only natural to help a friend protect his important things. Besides, those goggles were a present from Nagisa when Rei first joined the swimming club at school. And Makoto had a feeling that there was just something more intimate between the two. Sometimes he was scared that his two best friends would get together and leave him all alone.

He didn't want to be left out and be all by himself. He pretended that he didn't see the sparks that passed between them whenever they talked; he secretly wished that the chemistry between them would disappear and a real relationship would never come to fruition.

He hated these selfish feelings. Nagisa and Rei deserved to be happy too. Who was he to stand in their way? Eventually, he returned to the cave and resurfaced. He was about to dive back down to look for the goggles when he realized he wasn't alone in the cave.

Another boy was there, a little away from him and with his back turned from the brunet. He looked rather slim and upon closer inspection, Makoto found he was rather well-muscled and very pale. He wondered where the boy had come from, as they hadn't seen another ship around and he obviously couldn't have swum here.

And then Makoto saw the tail. It looked somewhat similar to a dolphin's tail, except it wasn't grey. It was a beautiful iridescent blue. The brunet gaped. No way. No mermaids er-… mermen did not exist. Maybe he was wearing a suit? But there wasn't a single boat in sight, so…

The boy turned, making Makoto flinch. He thought he had been caught staring at the other, but realized that the raven-haired boy was completely engrossed in something.

The other boy was examining a pair of red goggles, Rei's goggles. Makoto called out to him, "E-excuse me!"

The boy looked up at him, and Makoto's breath hitched. He was beautiful, with delicate features and deep blue eyes, like the ocean. All of that framed with ebony locks, and the brunet couldn't help but compare him to one of those porcelain dolls one would see on display. When he opened his mouth to speak again, he found no words would come out. For what seemed to be a good minute of staring, Makoto managed to regain his composure and speak again.

"T-that's," he took a deep breath, "that's my friends goggles, could you give them back?"

"Goggles?" the raven asked in a gentle voice, and he lifted the item in question.

"Uh… yes…"

The boy swam over, and leaned in so close that their noses were only an inch a part. Makoto blushed. The other really was beautiful… and what was he thinking?! Whatever the other was… fish, or person, or merman, he needed to get himself together! The boy looked him up and down, and the taller male shrunk back, blushing even more from the inspection

"You're that type?" It was actually more of a statement rather than a question. Makoto wasn't really sure what he meant by that, but sighed in relief as the boy backed away. The disinterested expression on the boy's face faded and changed into fascination, blue eyes stared intently.

"I… guess?"

"Hm…." There was an awkward silence. Makoto looked up to see the hole and the sun, lower down in the sky. He remembered that he had to go.

"Um…"

"What's it like up there?" the boy interrupted.

"Uh, well, it's er- dry…" Makoto said nervously. The other huffed impatiently. Well, what was he supposed to say? He really needed to go right now, even though in the back of his mind, he really wanted to stay and get to know this gorgeous… he smacked himself on the cheek. No, no, you are not supposed to think about these kinds of things. "Look, I have to go… I'll come back another time and we'll talk then, okay?" the merman looked rather put-out by this response and was about to swim away when the brunet spoke up again.

"I'm Makoto… um… what's your name?"

The boy watched him for a moment before speaking, "Haruka." And he threw Rei's goggles at Makoto and left. He meant it when he said he would come back again. He didn't have a big boat like Nagisa, but he would try to see Haruka again. He didn't want to go with Nagisa or Rei this time, he just wanted to go by himself.

He didn't really know how, but just being around the merman, Haruka, he got the feeling the other boy wasn't a people-person, er… merpeople person… thing. You get the idea. The only reason he spoke to Makoto was obviously because he was curious. So Makoto decided he would go by himself another time since he was worried that he would scare Haruka away by bringing more people.

So the brunet swam, and was greeted by Nagisa and Rei, both of which were rather flushed and somewhat awkward. Makoto wondered what the two were doing while he was gone, and he had an inkling of what probably occurred, if the blushes were anything to go by. Say what you will, the brunet wasn't as dense as people thought him to be. Rei thanked Makoto for the goggles and they quickly went inside to sail back for shore.

After Nagisa set the boat and they began their journey homeward, Makoto stepped out of the captain's cabin to allow Rei and Nagisa some private time. He leaned over the railing and sighed. It was only a matter of time before the two realized their feelings, if they hadn't already. He was happy for them, he really was. But once they became a couple, Makoto would have to drift away. He would only be a hindrance.

As he was nursing these thoughts, he noticed something splashing nearby. He rubbed his eyes. He thought he saw a flash of that iridescent blue. Haruka couldn't have…. could he? Makoto stared at the water intensely.

Instead of Haruka, a fish jumped out of the water. The brunet sighed in disappointment. Oh well, what did he expect? Nothing good would come out of it anyway–if the merman was following the boat.

So Makoto sat down on one of the lawn chairs on the open deck, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.

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_**Hoped you liked the chappie. Thank you for dropping reviews, ashira23 and MidoriTenchi90. You guys are awesome. That goes for everyone else who favorited/followed. You guys rock just as much. Stick around for the next chappie and bear with me for awhile until the next chappie gets out. **_


	2. Coming Home

**Yo, what's up? I actually wrote this originally for Chapter 1, but it looked like a lot, so I cut in half. It's still twice as long as the first one though, sorry about that. While writing Chappie 3, I got a plot bunny and started writing it. It's a companion to this fic and I'll upload it soon if you're interested. **

**Anyways, in response to my first two reviews: **

**MidoriTenchi90**

**ashira23**

**I love you guys. I hope the story will continue to be to your liking. **

**Warnings: Awkward, awkwardness and OOC-ness **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!, hell I haven't finished it yet. **

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Makoto woke up and saw the sun already setting in the horizon. He turned and saw they were nearing the docks and he was about to walk back into the captain's cabin when he heard some rather…interesting, noises. He backed away and sat back down. He tried very hard to keep down the blush threatening to spill over his face.

Eventually they docked and they came out and wandered the pier. Makoto stood slightly apart from Rei and Nagisa, they were now holding hands.

Rei and Nagisa opted to go back into the Hazuki household and proposed a sleepover to which Makoto politely declined. He said goodbye to them and then went out to the pier and sat down, dangling his legs over the water, thinking those depressing thoughts of being alone again.

He was pretty awkward. He acted a little childish and was a little bland in personality. He didn't have many close friends. If Nagisa and Rei went away, where would he go? He doubted he could find someone willing to put up with him.

And then he heard a splash.

He looked around, and seeing nothing, he fell back into his thoughts. And then another splash, this time, Makoto snapped his head around and saw it, a tip of a familiar blue fin. Makoto was alert now. He scanned the water; he couldn't have…could he? He yelped when he felt a hand pull at his leg and fell into the water. He fell under and managed to get back up to the surface.

"Haruka-san! What are you doing here?!" he yelled at the offending merman.

The other looked slightly sheepish after being yelled at, and Makoto wished he hadn't yelled so loud, "Er….did you follow me all the way here?" he continued in a gentler voice. Haruka nodded.

"Well, can you not drag me down next time? I told you I would come back didn't I? There was any need for you to go to the trouble of following me…" Haruka looked bored, and then dived under. Before he knew it Makoto was flipped over as Haruka grabbed his left leg and lifted it out of the water. Makoto freaked out. He didn't like the fact that he was upside down and completely unable to flip himself upright. Haruka was stronger than he looked. Finally, Haruka let go and Makoto splashed up, gasping for air.

"Please, Haruka-san!" and then he lowered his voice, looking around for anyone close by, "Please don't do that, Haruka-san, I need to breathe you know. I'm not like you." At this, Haruka slumped his shoulders. "A-ah, it's okay, but don't do it again, Haruka-san."

"Haruka," the merman said suddenly.

"Eh?"

"It's Haruka. Drop the –san already."

"O-okay, Haruka," Makoto said, he felt a little awkward calling someone he just met so intimately.

He began to swim away, hoping to find a ladder to get up and dry off, but Haruka grabbed onto his arm.

"Where are you going?" he said, his eyes betraying the cold expression on his face, that light of curiosity in his eyes.

"Up, Haruka. I need to get dry and then I need to get home," and he swam up to the nearby ladder. He climbed up and looked back at Haruka, "I'll come back tomorrow, wait for me, okay?" and he smiled gently at the other boy, slightly amused at the slight blush that came on the other's face.

"I'm coming with you," and Haruka began to climb the ladder, much to Makoto's surprise. How was he going to climb the ladder with fins?

"W-wait, Haruka," and Haruka stopped to stare up at him, "you can't come."

"Why not?"

"Well, Haruka, you don't have…well…you have…"

"I don't have legs," Haruka finished for him, he continued in almost a bored voice, "But I'll get some, just wait."

"Wait, wait, wait, how can you get-" but Makoto didn't finish as he watched to other boy climb up the ladder with difficulty, trying to hoist himself up, his large fins flapping in the effort to get to the pier. Without thinking, Makoto gave Haruka his hand and in the end, pulled Haruka up.

He looked a little awkward out of the water, his fins flicking lazily before going still. Makoto was going to say that he couldn't exactly carry him home when he saw the fins begin to shrink.

They shrank and slowly, he saw the fins disappear and take the shape of legs, the blue disappearing and replaced by creamy white skin. Haruka now had legs. And some other stuff.

Haruka was now completely naked. Makoto felt the heat go up his face. They were both guys, but this was a little too indecent. Really though…Haruka had some really nice legs…Ugh…He quickly covered his face in embarrassment.

"Hey," and he felt his hands being pulled away from his face, Haruka looked intently at his face with those mesmerizing blue eyes, "I have legs now. Let's go."

Makoto did his best not to look down, "Y-you're not wearing anything!" and he pulled off his wet jacket, it was better than nothing, "Put this on!" Haruka looked confused, by it and when he took it, he just looked at it. Makoto sighed and helped Haruka get into the jacket. Haruka still needed pants, but at least the jacket was big enough to cover the upper part of his legs.

"Wait here for me okay? _Don't_ move," and Makoto ran off to Nagisa's house, hoping there would be something in Haruka's size for him to wear. He finally got to the Hazuki household, panting at the doorstep before composing himself and pressing the doorbell. Nagisa's mother didn't even bat an eye at Makoto's appearance, used to Nagisa and her son's friends coming a lot in the same condition.

"Nagisa and Rei-kun are upstairs, Mako-kun. Try not to make too much of a mess, ne?" Nagisa's mother smiled and let him in.

"Ah, thank you, Ms. Hazuki," he replied, slightly out of breath.

He walked in and knocked on Nagisa's door. He heard loud shuffles and whispers inside and then the door was opened, showing a disheveled, red-faced Nagisa.

"Oh…uh, hi, Mako-chan!" Nagisa then realized that Makoto was dripping on the floor, "Eh? What happened Mako-chan?" he pulled Makoto inside, rummaging through his dresser for dry clothes. "Here we go!" and he gave Makoto some loose gym shorts and a large t-shirt, "Did you go for a swim with your clothes or something?"

"Ah, something like that," rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment, "I..er…fell into the pier." Not exactly a lie.

"Oh, I see. Are you sure you don't want to sleepover?" at this, Nagisa sounded a little uncertain, and he glanced at Rei, who hadn't said a word during the entire exchange.

"Ah, no, it's okay, I'll be going now. Thanks, Nagisa-san."

"Hey, Mako-san," and Makoto stopped and turned to look at Rei, "take care of yourself. Don't get sick okay?"

"Ah, yes."

"And…thanks for getting me my goggles, they mean a lot to me," Makoto only smiled in response and nodded his head. He went out of Nagisa's bedroom, said goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Hazuki and as soon as he was outside, he ran to the pier, hoping Haruka hadn't wandered off.

When he got there, he found the place deserted. He looked around, panicking. Surely, Haruka wouldn't wander off…right? Oh who was he kidding? Haruka was probably wandering the neighborhood half-naked and maybe some policeman found him or worse, he met up with some pervert.

"Haruka! Haruka!" he called and called, and when he was just about to give up, he heard a splash. He looked down to see Haruka in the water, still wearing his jacket, and his legs now fins.

"You're slow," Haruka said, lazily opening one eye to look at him.

"Ah…Haruka, if you want to stay in the water then…" that got Haruka moving, he swam over to the ladder and Makoto helped him up and gave him the shorts. Haruka only gave them a disinterested glance, "Do you really need…this?" and he gestured to Makoto's clothes.

"Yes! Please put them on, Haruka, please?" Makoto pleaded and Haruka reluctantly took the shorts. But it became obvious Haruka didn't know how to put them on, not that it was surprising since he obviously didn't really use his legs that often.

"H-here, let me help," and Makoto took the shorts and helped Haruka into them, blushing every time his fingers happened to touch Haruka's smooth skin. After that embarrassing ordeal was over, Makoto sighed in relief. He was doing a lot of sighing lately wasn't he? Ah well, considering the circumstances…he looked at Haruka, who was staring intently at him. Makoto tried to make the red go away from his cheeks but found that he couldn't.

His thoughts wandered to Haruka's skin, it was so soft and pale and smooth and….he was wandering into pervert territory. Get yourself together already, Makoto! He smacked his cheeks with his hands, making Haruka tilt his head in confusion at the action. His parents had just left on a business trip and thankfully, wouldn't be back for two weeks while his little siblings would be out for just as long on summer camp. They worried about him being home alone but he pushed them out of the house to let them have fun.

No one would be home to question this odd occurence. And whether there were people or not, Makoto had a feeling that Haruka would follow him home any way if he rejected to show the merman around.

"Ne, Haruka, we're going to my house, okay?" and he extended his hand. Haruka looked at it for a moment, before taking it and they walked to Makoto's house. Haruka seemed to be curious about _everything_. He stopped a lot to examine things and Makoto would have to explain each of them. It was really cute to see Haruka pointing out things like a child, his eyes wide with wonder, although he managed to keep the rest of his face blank.

All in all, Makoto didn't get home until it was seven because of all the stops and detours Makoto made so Haruka could explore. He found that he didn't really mind. Haruka wasn't much of a talker, but his presence calmed him down. Haruka reminded him of the ocean, calm and peaceful and beautiful…

"And this is my house, Haruka."

"Hm…" Haruka seemed unable to get enough of the place, when they got inside, Haruka touched and picked up _everything_. From shoes, to pots, to a few bugs that somehow got into the house. Makoto had to lay down the line and tell him what he could and couldn't pick up when Haruka started playing with a lighter and nearly burned himself. Haruka was a little bit more careful from then on. Makoto showed Haruka the house, though Haruka seemed most interested in the bathroom, which wasn't really surprising.

Makoto spread out the sheets for the guest bedroom and told Haruka to sleep there. Haruka didn't say a word and lay down on the bed, testing it.

"Do you like it?"

Haruka grunted in response and Makoto smiled, happy that he was comfortable, not noticing the slight blush that passed the other's face.

"I'm going to take a bath now, Haruka, just…just make yourself comfortable, okay?" he smiled again when Haruka nodded and he walked out into the hall. He ran his hands through his hair, this was really the strangest day he had ever had. Weirder than the time the G-er…Kou, asked him and his friends to dress in rather, questionable costumes, to advertise the swimming club at school.

Needless to say, the swim club was flooded with new members after that, but Makoto still had nightmares of G-er…Kou coming into the night and forcing him into that maid costume like that time. That girl had the strength of ten gorillas. He shuddered. Hopefully, things would be back to normal tomorrow, and Haruka would go back to the sea where he belonged.

The thought of Haruka leaving however, made Makoto rather sad. He liked Haruka's company. He shook his head. It was selfish to keep the merman away from home. One night should be enough, right?

He decided a hot bath would help clear his head and he ran grabbed some fresh clothes and set the bath. After washing himself, he stepped into the tub and sighed in contentment as he sat down. A warm bath was just so relaxing and usually helped to clear his head when he was troubled.

A mermai- merman, was in his house. He wondered how he had gotten himself in this situation and wondered vaguely if this was either a punishment or a blessing as the mermen could be a potential friend or problem later. Ah well, he would deal with it later, his family wouldn't be coming home soon so it'd be okay to let Haruka stay for a while. No need to worry.

He nearly fell asleep when he felt something or someone enter the bath and lean against him. His eyes snapped open and he looked to his right to see Haruka in the bath with him, practically sitting on Makoto's left leg, his legs now fins. He yelped and hit his head against the tile in the attempt to distance himself from the other.

They were in the tub together. Makoto was practically naked, and Haruka probably was too, considering his borrowed clothes were on the ground.

"W-What are you doing, Haruka?" Makoto was practically a tomato now, trying to cover up his delicate parts.

Haruka ignored the question, "Is this a bath?" and he patted the water and poked the tub.

"Yes, Haruka, and can, can I have some privacy please?"

"Is a bath something that's private?"

"_Yes_, Haruka, but…" not wanting to hurt the other's feelings, "I'm done anyway, can you move over so I can get out?"

Haruka moved over and Makoto quickly got out, covering his privates until he reached a towel. He quickly changed behind the shower door and then came out to look at Haruka, who was cupping the water and letting it drip through his fingers. His eyes looked lovingly upon the precious liquid as he watched it slowly fall back into the tub.

"Haruka, why did you want to leave the water?" Makoto asked hesitantly, he didn't want to intrude upon Haruka's privacy after all.

"My friend is up here. I want to see him," Haruka looked a little sad now, probably thinking about his friend. Makoto wondered vaguely if his friend was something more and it made him a little sad too, did he like _like_ this person?...why did he even care for that matter?

"I see. Well, let's try to find him together! Ne, Haruka?" and he stuck a hand out to shake, Haruka shook it hesitantly. "Do you want to sleep here or in the bedroom?"

Haruka pondered this and shook his head, leaning back and relaxing in the tub.

"Well, okay then. Good night, I'm going to turn off the lights, okay Haruka?"

"Good night….Makoto," and Haruka turned away and promptly went to sleep. Makoto blushed at the use of his name but muttered another 'good night' and left. His heart was still fluttering by the time he stepped into bed. The last thing he thought of was how cute Haruka's face was when they were walking, those bright blue eyes alighting in excitement and wonder every time Makoto talked to him.

Day 1

Makoto woke up to hear the sound of the TV and the smell of something cooking in the kitchen. He got up, and wandered out of his bedroom, still half-asleep and wondering what his mother was making which smelled suspiciously like fish.

After freshening up, he realized that Haruka was no longer in the tub and he ran into the living room which was adjoined to the kitchen. He saw that the TV was on some cooking channel and teaching how to cook fish and he turned around and leaned over the counter to see Haruka cooking some fish, wearing nothing but an apron.

"H-Haruka!" Makoto blushed furiously, "W-Where are your clothes? And…and what are you doing?"

"Cooking fish," he said nonchalantly, and went back to work. How Haruka had managed to turn on the TV, work the stove, and not set the house on fire was a miracle in itself, considering the teen seemed to know nothing of the customs on land.

"Here, let me hel-"

"It's done," Haruka said and he turned off the stove. He turned to Makoto and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"W-Wh-What are you doing?" Makoto was completely crimson now.

"The cooking lady did it on the picture box, when she was done with the man."

"You don't have to follow her every move, Haruka!" and he couldn't look at Haruka's face anymore, completely red and unable to look the other's adorable face from embarrassment. "A-a-a-at least, put on some clothes, now Haruka, I'll clean up."

Haruka frowned, "There _are _clothes."

"But they're not proper clothes, er, just let's clean up and I'll get you clean ones," and Makoto put the fish onto plates and put the pot and spatula in the sink. Haruka, surprisingly, had not made a mess, and Makoto found that everything was in its place.

"Okay, Haruka, let's get some-" he was cut off by the piece of fish Haruka had stuck in his mouth. Haruka motioned for him to eat it and he did. It was surprisingly good, better than his cooking at any rate and the fact that Haruka had probably never even touched a stove and managed to do this was even more astonishing. "Wow, Haruka, this is…great…" and he quickly ate the rest.

Haruka blushed slightly at the comment, muttering something under his breath, and ate his piece. Upon finishing, Makoto smiled and clasped his hands together, "Thanks, Haruka." Then he heard the doorbell ring, and he remembered that Haruka was still completely naked save for the apron. He turned white and Haruka, having never heard a doorbell before, began walking towards the door.

Makoto grabbed Haruka and pushed him into the bathroom. "Please, Haruka, stay in here and don't come out until I come in here okay?" He didn't wait for a reply and shut the door before running to the front door to greet Nagisa and Rei.

"Good morning, Nagisa, Rei," and Makoto flashed a smile, albeit it was a little strained.

"Ah, good morning, Makoto-san," Rei replied, returning the smile.

Nagisa smiled too, but faltered upon seeing the strain in his good friend's smile, "Is there something wrong, Mako-chan?"

"Ah, no, just didn't get enough sleep last night, ahaha…" Makoto replied, trying to figure out a way to send the two away so that he could properly hide Haruka.

"Oh well, want to hang out? They've added Ferris wheel to the pier and we can go swimming afterwards," Rei said, "Might as well enjoy the summer while school is still out."

"A-ah okay. Yeah, just let me get ready..." and Makoto turned to go inside and shut the door when Nagisa called out to him.

"Oii! Mako-chan, aren't you going to let us in?"

"Oh, right," and he took them in and led them to the living room. The TV was still on.

"Trying to learn how to cook, Makoto-san?" Rei raised a brow at him, normally; Makoto would eat instant things or simple stuff like sandwiches considering he was a horrible cook.

"Ah, yes, well, I'll just go change and I'll be right back," Makoto backed away and walked into the hallway. When he was out of sight, he opened the bathroom door, to see that no one was inside. _Ahhhhhh,_ _where could he have gone!?_ Makoto thought, as he grabbed his hair in frustration. He noticed the clothes were still on the ground and he threw them in the basket.

He ran up the stairs and found Haruka in his bedroom, staring out the window.

"Haruka!" he whispered as loudly as he could, "Haruka, we're going to go to the beach now. Can you handle staying here…" Makoto stopped. Leaving Haruka alone would probably be bad. With no one to watch him, what other stuff could he end up doing? "Actually, do you want to come with us?"

Haruka turned to him, thankfully still wearing the apron at least, "Us?"

"Yes, my friends and I are going to the pier to see the Ferris wheel and swim, do you want to come with us?" The swimming thing was something he was unsure about considering what Haruka was. But maybe a little fresh air and new human contraptions would distract him from the waters and keep him occupied.

"Okay," Haruka finally replied.

Makoto smiled. He took out some of his own clothes and gave them to the other teen, they were a little bigger on him but at it would have to do for now, it wasn't like Haruka would be staying with him permanently anyway.

Makoto began thinking of ways in which he could introduce Haruka without making it seem too strange, to Nagisa and Rei, the former of which would most likely say that Makoto was having a 'one-night stand' with the merman. Just as he was thinking these things and done changing, did he realize that Haruka had left the room. When did he…?

Oh god, Nagisa and Rei were downstairs. Makoto ran down the stairs and came into the living room to see Nagisa chatting away happily to a confused Haruka. Nagisa saw Makoto run in and smirked, "Hehe, were you trying to hide him from us, Maaaako-chaaan?"

Rei's face darkened slightly, "I didn't think you were that type of person, Makoto-san…"

"H-hey, it's not what you think!"

"Oh, Mako-chan, is this what you meant when you 'fell into the pier' last night? You know, if you were lonely you could have told me! Then we could have had a threesome!" Nagisa said while wrapping an arm around Haruka's, who seemed unfazed by the entire thing, still wearing that bored expression on his face.

"Ne, ne, so how was your night, Haru-chan?" Haruka twitched a little at the nickname before responding.

"Don't call me that," and he disentangled himself from Nagisa and walked over to Makoto and pulled on his sleeve. "Are we going to go soon?" he said impatiently.

"Ah well, er…"

"First, Mako-san has some explaining to do…" Makoto could practically see the dark aura around Rei and he backed away.

This was going to be awkward…

"Well, er…you see…I kind of…sort of…"

"Spit it out already," it was amazing how intimidating Rei could be, despite being younger than him.

"Well, I sort of found Haruka at the docks when you left. He was lost and he said he didn't have a place to go, so I let him stay here overnight," Technically it was true, just missing the 'merman' part and the fact that Haruka had followed them to shore and what not.

Nagisa didn't look convinced and neither did Rei, "Is that really all that happened, Mako-chan?"

"Yes! I didn't do anything…indecent or anything!" Makoto blushed at the suggestion, there was that time in the kitchen this morning, but that was it! Thankfully, Nagisa seemed to let Makoto off the hook and pulled Rei back before he could question Makoto any further.

"So," and Nagisa turned to Haruka this time, "You're lost huh?"

"…"

"Well, maybe you can spare a few hours? We can head into town to see if that jogs your memory, and we've got a map, so don't you worry Haru-chan!"

Haruka twitched again at the name, but didn't say anything and only nodded at Nagisa.

* * *

_**That's another chappie done. Hope you liked it. Peace 3 **_


	3. Double Date?

**I wrote a lot. And it took me a while too. My brain hurts, but hey, I finally got the time to write for once. Hope you enjoy it, though there isn't a lot of plot moving forward here. I promise that next chappie will push the story along a little faster. ****Anyways, I have followers, which is a first for me. I love you guys, cookies for everyone!**

**Special thanks to my beta-reader: Know-Your-Place  
**

**Anyways, kiss-kiss, enjoy the chappie **

**Disclaimer: Don't own Free!, just sayin' **

* * *

**Chapter 3 - Double Date? **

"What's that?"

"Cotton candy, it's pretty much sugar wrapped in a ball."

"How about that?"

"That's a dream catcher, people think that if you hang it over your bed, you can protect yourself from the nightmares."

"Oi, oi! What are you two whispering about over there? You aren't talking about naughty things riiight?" Nagisa's face was suddenly much too close for comfort. The brunet yelped, and jumped back with his arms up to guard his face.

"Nagisa-san! There's no need to be up so close!"

"Oh Mako-chan, you're so easy to scare though!" Nagisa laughed, "It's no fun if I don't try to tease you a bit here and there, right Rei-kun?"

"Look Nagisa-san, maybe you should cut Makoto-san some slack," the aforementioned teen pushed up his glasses, "Besides, it's not beautiful to speak of such vulgar things in public."

Nagisa pouted. "But, Rei-kuuun, I thought you said you wouldn't mind what I said because my voice was very beautiful!" Nagisa's flashed a coy smile at Rei, "At least, that's what you said last night…"

Rei flushed, "I-I, that's not…This is different!" he spluttered, getting redder with each passing second. Makoto wondered when the blonde lost that innocent persona he had as a child.

He tuned them out as the bickering ensued, or more like a one-sided scolding from the bespectacled teen while the other laughed shamelessly. He shaded his eyes against the blazing sun. It was only 10 o'clock and already the heat had settled in. It didn't help that the beach was crowded as well. But the brunet supposed it wasn't too bad, at least Haruka seemed to be enjoying himself. The boardwalk was lined with quaint shops and the fairgrounds at the pier seemed to be in full-swing.

At the moment, the merman was tugging his sleeve and pointing at the nearby ice cream shop.

"What's that?"

"Ah, that's ice cream. People usually eat it when it's hot out…um…Do you want to get some?"

The other boy blinked, which meant probably meant 'yes'. The green-eyed teen smiled, it seemed Haruka communicated mainly in stares. It was funny how he usually managed to guess correctly what the other was thinking, though that might just be luck on his part… They wandered into the ice cream parlor, while the other two trailed behind, still squabbling.

* * *

The taller male sighed contentedly, thankful that the shop still had good air conditioning unlike some stores. Haruka was surprised by the bell that rang when they entered, and then was quickly preoccupied by the store's décor. It was designed like one of those vintage ice cream parlors with the tiled floor and neat little island with bright red barstools. The other tables were thin, wired chairs with small doilies on the table tops.

Makoto led the merman away from the entrance and to one of the seats at the counter. "So, do you like the place Haruka?"

"It's fine…what's-"

"Welcome! I'm Matusoka Kou and I'll be your server for-" the red-head squealed at the sight of the green-eyed male and jumped at him from behind the counter.

"Agh, G-Kou-chan, you're suffocating meee…" the brunet wailed as Gou hugged him tightly across the counter.

"Ah, oops! Don't want to make your date jealous no don't we?" Gou batted her eyes at the clueless Haruka, who seemed to be engrossed in the menu.

Makoto groaned and dropped his head on the counter. "He's not my daatteee…he's just a friend! Why does everyone say that?" He lifted his head up to see Gou more clearly. She was dressed in a striped pink apron with a nametag with a puffy button-up shirt underneath. The apron and hat she wore had "Sweet Cream" written on it in swirly font. "Since when did you work for this place?"

Gou raised an eye at him. "Weren't you listening to me at all last week?"

"Er…no?" Makoto rubbed the back of his head abashedly. He knew he didn't have the best memory, but one would think he would remember something like this.

"Well, I-"

"Gou-chan! How come you're here?"

Gou stamped her foot on the ground and pouted, "It's Kou-chan to you! K-O-U, Kou! And I told all of you last week! Remember when we went to the mall on Saturday?"

Nagisa had the gall to smile in her face and say in his usual sing-song voice, "Not at all, Gou-chan!"

"You…" they could practically see the dark aura surrounding the girl.

Sensing danger, Rei stepped in-between the two. "Anyways! S-so how's your job G-er-Kou-san? I bet it's a lot of work ahaha…"

The girl brightened immediately, "Yep! The job is great and I get paid $10 bucks an hour for eating ice-cream!" She put her hands on her cheeks and swayed from side-to-side, "Ohhh, and I just met this guy the other day and he's totally hot! Ahhh, he's from Samezuka High and he's on the swim team! Just imagine those abs…"

The rest of them let out a silent sigh of relief. If Gou was obsessing over guys then it was fine, considering that the girl was about to go into a rampage. The redhead had quite the temper, and they all didn't feel like dying today.

"Neeee, Gou-chan! What's with all the ruckus?" a familiar woman walked in wearing a similar uniform to Gou's.

Makoto choked, "Amakata-sensei?!"

"Eh? Tachibana-san, what are you doing here?..." she trailed off and hazel eyes shifted to the raven-haired boy. "Ohhhhh, you're on a date!"

"We're not-…why do I even bother?" Makoto placed his head back on the counter. Why did people come to that conclusion every single time? He shifted his head to look at Haruka. The merman was no longer fiddling with the menu and was being bombarded with questions by Gou and his teacher. Today would be a long day. Honestly, the teen wished he hadn't gotten up this morning…

"Ne, Ama-chan, why _are_ you here anyways?" Nagisa said, jumping into a seat next to Haruka.

"Hmm, well a friend of mine actually owns the store, but she's out of town so I'm just stepping in for her for a few weeks. Speaking of stepping in, Matsuoka-chan, why haven't you served the cute couples yet?"

"I got it, I got it!" Gou replied, pulling out the ice cream scoop and walking over to the ice cream display case.

The blonde followed Gou, dragging his bespectacled partner along, "Ooh! Rei-chan let's get that one! Oh, and the mint too!"

"But, Nagisa-san, you already had-"

"You can never have too much ice cream, Rei-chan," and Nagisa yanked the taller boy along with even more enthusiasm than before. Ms. Amakata walked off into the back room, saying something about cleaning out some stuff in the freezer. Makoto sighed and sat up. "Sorry, Haruka. It's a little too hectic isn't it?" Haruka didn't answer, opting to stare at the counter instead. Did he say something wrong? He shifted his gaze to the store window, hoping he could find something to talk about with the quiet boy. He couldn't exactly ask anything mermaid related, considering present company.

As he fiddled his thumbs, Makoto failed to notice that Haruka's gaze was now focused on him. Just when the merman was about to tug the human's sleeve, a loud clang sounded on the counter in front of them. The brunet was jolted out of his thoughts and looked up to see Ms. Amakata smiling brightly.

"There you go! This is what we give to couples. It's on me today, considering how cute you two are together!" Before Makoto could try to protest, the woman waltzed off towards with the others. Nagisa was sitting next to Rei a little away from them with a large bowl of ice- cream. Gou had a stopwatch in hand while Ms. Amakata picked up a checkboard and pen.

"Okay, so if you can finish the Titanic in thirty minutes, you don't have to pay for any of it and you get a free tub of any flavor you want for free. But if you don't finish it, you're going to have to pay double," the brunette recited from her check board.

"You ready, Rei-chan?" the blonde asked excitedly. Rei nodded, but already looked like he was turning green from the ridiculous amount of ice cream piled into the bowl.

"Ready…Start!" Gou began the stopwatch and Nagisa dove into the ice-cream with his spoon. The black-haired teen beside him, on the other hand, gingerly took several scoops. Makoto shivered. He liked ice cream as much as the next guy, but anyone would feel sick upon watching someone eat that much. He would stick to nice single scoops thank you very much. Speaking of ice-cream, Makoto turned his attention to the bowl in front of him.

The traditional Neapolitan flavors were there, drizzled in chocolate syrup. On top were red, heart-shaped sprinkles and a single Maraschino cherry on top. There was only one spoon.

…

Makoto turned pink. He looked at Haruka, who seemed unfazed. "I'll go get another spoon, I think it's-" Haruka stuck the a spoonful of vanilla in his mouth before he could say more. He turned redder at that and swallowed the dessert down. Haruka pulled back the spoon and scooped some for himself, completely unaware of the flustered air around the brunet.

_Was that an indirect kiss!?_ Makoto thought frantically to himself, before calming down. _But, I doubt Haruka knows anything about that kind of stuff. Ugh, I shouldn't worry so much about these things! Stupid hormones, stupid brain…_

As he slapped his cheeks together in an effort to get the blush off his face, Haruka fiddled with the spoon. He dug into the ice-cream, fascinated by the strange dessert. Ice-cream? How strange. When the merman tried to get a bigger scoop, he pulled the spoon out a bit too fast. The spoon was fine, but the ice-cream wasn't there. Where did it go…?

Makoto yelped when he felt something cold and wet slap onto his face. He reached up and wiped off the glob of whatever-it-was onto the floor. Tasted like…strawberry? He looked at Haruka, who had quickly turned away from him.

"H-Harukaaaa….that's not funny!" the brunet puffed up his cheeks in indignation when he saw the amusement in the merman's eyes. He was going to scold the other teen again when he felt another glob of ice-cream smack his face.

"You're right Mako-chan, it's not funny. It's hilarious!" Nagisa laughed, clutching his sides. Gou seemed to be trying, and failing, to hold in her laughter as well. Ms. Amakata put up her clipboard to hide her face while Rei simply gaped, his head swiveling between the blonde and the older brunet.

"Why you…" Makoto glanced at the ice cream bowl. He plucked the spoon out of Haruka's hand, scooping out ice cream and promptly throwing it at Nagisa.

Unfortunately, Makoto didn't have the best aim. Especially with a face full of ice cream. Rei cried out when the ice cream flew into his face, falling out of his chair from the sudden shot.

"Heh, missed me Mako-chan!" and the blonde jumped up, carrying the bowl and spoon with fiery determination.

"Hey! Don't forget me!" Before Ms. Amakata could stop her, Gou vaulted over the counter and pulled off her apron and hat. "You're going down, Makoto-san!"

"In your dreams! Prepare to be ice-creamed!" Makoto yelled, all while pulling Haruka aside and tilting up one of the tables as a shield.

And so began the ice-cream war. In which Ms. Amakata wailed in the background as ice-cream flew over her head and the teenagers shot cheesy one-liners at each other. After a good ten minutes of ice-cream slinging, their generally amiable teacher flipped.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Before he knew it, Makoto was cleaning up the floors with Haruka and the rest while Ms. Amakata tutted them disapprovingly.

"I hope you learned a lesson from all this! As the great Oscar Wilde said, 'Work is the curse of the ice-cream classes.'"

Rei pushed up his glasses, "Amakata-sensei, I don't think that's what he said…"

"Get back to work!"

"Ow!" The teen rubbed the back of his head. Ruler sure did hurt.

* * *

After cleaning up the shop and apologizing for the mess, the group wandered off towards the fairgrounds near the pier. It was already late afternoon and the heat went down to more bearable levels. For a while, they amused themselves by exploring the colorful booths around the area. Haruka was particularly fascinated by the fishing game, and Makoto would have stuck around the booth longer if the merman hadn't tried to jump into the pool with the fish.

They meandered through the remaining booths. Nagisa had struck a bet with Rei earlier, saying he could win more games than the other. As the two started playing a shooting game, Makoto noticed that the merman was staring at something in the distance.

"Ah, Haruka?" The boy in question turned and pulled at Makoto's sleeve, pointing at the ferris wheel.

"What's that?"

"A ferris wheel, people ride it for fun. Do you want to ride it too?" Haruka blinked at him, bright blue eyes looked at him in expectation.

After ushering the gang to the ticket booth and waiting patiently in line, Makoto ended up in a cart with only Haruka. Apparently, Nagisa and Rei felt that the two needed to relieve some sexual tension. Makoto ignored their catcalls when they stepped into the cart. As the wheel began to move, Haruka moved over to Makoto and clung onto his arm for dear life. But as soon as the ocean came into view, the boy pressed himself against the window. As if he could melt through the glass and jump into the ocean. From up here, the sea never looked so amazing. The sun reflected off the surface, making the waves shimmer and glow.

In the reflection of the window, Makoto could see the longing in Haruka's face. The merman looked so sad, being away from the water. This person he was searching for…was he really this important for the merman to leave the ocean that he loved so much?

"Ne Haruka, do you love him a lot? The person you're looking for?"

Haruka didn't reply immediately. In fact, he acted like he hadn't heard him at all, choosing to watch the ocean instead. Makoto didn't press him. It was probably very personal for merman. It'd be rude of him to push, especially since they just met. But to his surprise, the reticent boy answered.

"Yes, I did." Makoto felt his heart wrench when he heard that. He didn't understand why he would feel this way. Perhaps it was…pity? Yes, it probably was. Makoto didn't miss the past tense Haruka used. Did this person leave? It seemed so sad, a romance that didn't seem to come to life he supposed. The raven-haired boy turned to look at him, those brilliant blue eyes filled with sadness. Makoto wished he could make it go away, replace it with the joy and wonder that had filled them before.

"Oh, I…I'm sorry for asking," the brunet said, looking down at his hands.

"Don't be." Haruka turned away and stared back at the ocean. He sighed softly and then leaned onto the taller male.

"…Ah, Haruka are you tired?" Makoto asked quietly.

"No." But blue-eyed boy continued to lean on him, resting his head on the brunet's shoulder. Makoto stayed silent, trying not to blush as the merman nuzzled into his shoulder while trying to get comfortable. Haruka's hair tickled his cheek and he fought the urge to run a hand through those silky locks.

"H-Haruka, ne, this is a little…i-inappropriate between us…" Makoto struggled to keep from stuttering. It must be the heat that was making it hard to think. And He didn't get a lot of sleep last night after all, must be fatigue too.

The other only huffed, "But we're friends," he lifted his head to look Makoto in the eye, "aren't we?"

"A-ah," the teen rubbed the back of his head with his free arm, "I guess we are." Haruka grunted and placed his head back in the crook of Makoto's shoulder.

"B-but, because we're friends we shouldn't be so, so…" he yelped when Haruka flicked his forehead. "Harukaaaa," Makoto whined, "that hurt!" He rubbed at the spot and puffed his cheeks. A lot like a child really. Haruka cheeks turned slightly pink and he looked the other way.

"Rin said it was okay for friends to do this…" the merman trailed off, feeling rather nostalgic and remembering all those old memories of that particular summer.

"Rin?" the brunet knew someone named Rin…but it probably wasn't the same…

"Yes, Matsuoka Rin," Haruka turned to him, a twinge of hope entering his voice, "do you know where he is?"

Makoto gritted his teeth. "He's not here right now. He's studying abroad and I don't know if he'll be back anytime soon. I'm sorry." He tried to keep his voice as pleasant as possible. Oh yes, he remembered Rin. He didn't like Rin. That was saying something, considering this was Tachibana Makoto, the friendliest boy on campus. After what he had done…let's just say that Makoto wasn't eager to see or even hear of Rin again.

The anger must have shown on his face because the brooding male felt another flick on his forehead. "You're making a weird face." Haruka was sitting up; staring at him with the usual blank expression, but his eyes looked worried.

There was also a bit of disappointment in those blue depths. His voice softened, "I'm sorry Haruka."

The other said nothing. He leaned back onto Makoto and closed his eyes. This time, the brunet did too. They leaned on each other and stayed that way until the ride was over.

* * *

Nagisa practically squealed when he saw the two lean into each other. Being in the cart right above Makoto's, he had a pretty good view of what was happening. Bringing binoculars was a good idea after all.

"See? I told you it was a good idea to bring these!" Nagisa nudged Rei in the ribs.

The raven-haired teen grunted, "I don't think you should be watching them like that, Nagi. They deserve some privacy." Nagisa pouted, but eventually turned away from watching the interesting development.

Rei sighed, "Honestly! Nagi, you don't need to watch Makoto-san all the time. He can take care of himself."

The smaller boy sighed, "I know, it's just that…Makoto just seemed a bit lonely earlier and now that he's got Haruka I…" he bit his lip, "I just don't want him to get hurt again. Like with Rin…"

Rei wrapped an arm around the blonde. "I know."

Nagisa laughed gently, "Heh, you know just about everything, don't you Rei-chan?"

Rei puffed himself up, and pushed up his trademark, red glasses. "Of course! And according to my calculations, the two will most likely start their first date in approximately 15 hours from now."

"Ehhh? Where'd you get that?"

"Obviously, from taking the atmosphere and measuring the…" Rei was cut off when Nagisa placed his lips over his. He would have protested, considering that he didn't even get to explain, but he let the matter slide. He eased into the kiss and let it all disappear. All that mattered was Nagisa. He wondered vaguely if Makoto was happy, if Makoto was able to feel this warmth in his chest. Rei certainly hoped so. Even if it had only been a few hours since they officially got together, Rei couldn't bear the idea of Nagisa not being there, not by his side to keep the little fire in him warm.

He barely even noticed that the cart had stopped. Meh. The other people could wait in line for just a little longer.

* * *

**I hope this wasn't too long for you. Thanks for reading and please drop a review on your way out. If you've got Q's for me to answer, just drop a review/PM me and I'll get back to you soon. As in right when you reply. Because I'm a creeper like that. **

**~Ciao**


	4. Falling

_**Chapter update again. I will also be editing Chappie 1 and 2 so don't be weirded out by some update (if it appears) and no new chappie appears. Anyways, enjoy. Special love to all the people who favorited/followed/reviewed, I really appreciate it! Virtual cookies to all of you as well as a virtual brownie. *om nom nom* **_

_**Special, special thanks to my fabulous beta reader: Know-Your-Place **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Free! and I don't own Frozen, it's just a subtle reference. THESE SERIES/MOVIES AREN'T MINE DON'T SUE ME DANG IT. **_

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**Chapter 4: Falling **

Makoto looked up to see the sun setting down in the sky. After the ferris wheel ride, Haruka had actually spoken up. The merman had said he was tired, and tugged at Makoto's sleeve, asking if they could go. With that, the group disbanded for the day, although not before Nagisa tried to offer the oldest teen a condom ("Just to be safe, Mako-chan!"). So here they were, walking down the sidewalk back home with the ocean on their left and the road on their right.

"Time really does fly by, huh?" he mused out loud. Makoto turned to look at the raven walking beside him, quiet as ever. "Did you have fun today too, Haruka?" The merman said nothing. As expected, Haruka turned to look at the ocean, which adopted an orange hue from the setting sun.

"Well, the ice-cream was a little messy," the brunet rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I guess we kind of let things go out of hand there, ne? But I hope you're not going to hate it after that, ice-cream is the best thing to have when it's hot out after all!"

Haruka grunted in response, but this time, turned to look at Makoto. "I'm going home."

"E-eh?" said male looked at the merman in surprise. Although he supposed it wasn't all too surprising that the other wanted to go home. The whole point of him coming to the surface was to find Rin, who was obviously no longer here. Again, the thought of the red-headed boy made Makoto's chest clench in pain, accompanied by Haruka's departure. "I see… I'll take you to the docks then."

"I can take myself there."

"But…" Haruka passed him an annoyed glance, telling him to stop nagging. Makoto sighed. "I'm sorry." Still, he couldn't help but feel hurt after being brushed aside so easily. The brunet groaned, he was being way too clingy. Since when did he become so whiny?

They continued their walk in silence. Eventually they reached the crossroads, one led to the docks, the other led to the Tachibana household.

"Ah, I guess this is where we depart…" Makoto looked at Haruka, the merman looked… sad… in a way. "But, no matter what happens, if you ever want to come back to the surface, I'll be here for you," the brunet said seriously. He then smiled warmly at the other, not noticing the blush on the merman's face. "Let's have fun together next time, okay, Haruka?"

The raven nodded. "Well… bye." The taller male was about to walk off when the merman grabbed his arm. He turned around and watched the shorter male lean in closer, tiptoeing to get closer to Makoto. Gentle hands took ahold of his face and brushed aside a few strands of hair. Haruka then placed a gentle kiss on his cheek before speaking quietly, "Thank you."

The boy pulled away and walked off towards the docks. Makoto watched him go, dumbfounded. Only when Haruka disappeared from view did the brunet begin walking back home with a new spring in his step. For the rest of the walk home, he couldn't keep the blush or the bright smile off his face.

* * *

Noticing there was nothing at home to eat for dinner, Makoto went out to go to the local supermarket. The kiss was… unexpected. He didn't think that the merman would be so bold to do that, then again, the raven-haired boy tended to be rather blunt about things. But just as happy as he was to receive that, he was saddened by Haruka's departure. He wondered when he would be able to see other again….

As he was picking out groceries, he remembered Haruka's cooking. Maybe next time he saw the merman, they could cook something together… nah, sounded too… cheesy? Too much like a married couple? Yeah, maybe Makoto would just cook him lunch. He wondered vaguely what merman ate, was it simply always fish? Maybe he should bring onigiri or something like that…

After having a friendly conversation with the cashier (not noticing that she was flirting with him), he walked outside the store. It was dark out. The street lights were the only things illuminating the lonely street. Makoto would have continued on his merry way had it not been for the person standing in front of him. Why… ?

"What are you doing here, Rin?" The redhead didn't answer, only giving the other an amused smirk. All the humor left Makoto's face, and he spoke seriously, "Are you just here to block my way? If you don't have anything to say, then leave me alone."

He tried to push past the other boy, but Rin grabbed his arm and pushed him back to where he was. "Hmph, not even going to gimme a polite 'hi'?" The cocky tone in his voice made Makoto want to punch something. God, why couldn't he just go away?

"I don't have anything to say to you. Besides, you made it clear that you wanted nothing to do with any of us."

"Che," Rin blew a stray hair from his forehead, "You're so boring Mako-chan. But I suppose that makes sense with an idiot like you. Still hanging around those other losers?"

"They're not losers, Rin. If all you're here for is to make fun of everyone, then you're wasting your breath. Just go back to Australia or whatever place you're going to next and leave us all alone." Makoto pushed past him more forcibly, and this time, Rin let him go.

"Hmph, and here I thought you would be happy to see me again. Isn't that what you said a long time ago?" the redhead said, although this time he sounded a bit angry.

"… that was when it was 'us' and not 'I'," Makoto said quietly.

"O-onii-san! Makoto-san! Eh, what's going on?" Gou stepped outside of the supermarket, her hands full with groceries. Her auburn eyes darted from her scowling brother and the brunet facing away from her.

Makoto turned and gave her the best smile he could muster, "It's nothing! I'll see you later Gou-chan!" Before either of the redheads could say anything, he quickly walked off. He broke into a jog upon turning the corner. He sighed in exasperation and ran a hand through his hair. Today of all days had to be when he met that guy again.

He took a deep breath and passed the crosswalk, nearly home when he passed a particular alleyway. Normally, Mami would appear, clawing at his pants leg for food. Sometimes she would bring other cats, mainly kittens as well. He would always play with the calico cat though, despite what everyone thought, she was a stray. He couldn't bear keeping her locked up in his house or chaining her down with a collar, so he let her be. There were times she somehow snuck into his home, but for the most part, she kept her distance.

This time, however, while Mami did appear, she was alert. She meowed at him before biting at his shoelaces, she wanted him to follow. Curious, Makoto did as he was directed. It wasn't long before he heard voices.

"C'mon sweetheart, no need to be difficult." The voice sounded a little slurred and raspy, probably drunk. As he got closer, he could see two figures. One figure was being trapped against the wall by the other. Makoto tried to move a bit more quietly, attempting to get the jump on this person to save the poor harassed figure.

"Just loosen up a bit, and let me…" A slap could be heard.

"Don't touch me." The teen recognized that voice. And at the sound of it, he threw all caution to the winds. He barreled straight into the offender and punched the man straight in the jaw with a solid uppercut. The drunkard was out like a light. Makoto whirled around and grabbed the poor victim by the shoulders.

"Haruka! Are you hurt? Did he touch you anywhere?" Before the raven-haired boy could respond, Makoto began patting him down, checking for wounds or bruises of some sort. The merman slapped his hands away, irritated.

"I-… I'm fine." But he didn't sound fine at all. The boy looked paler than normal, and quite shaken up. The neutral mask made him seem calm, but the boy's eyes belied the fear he had felt earlier. Makoto wrapped his arms around the smaller male.

He spoke gently, "No, you're not. How about we go to my place for a bit? It's dark out, and dangerous things happen at night. Are you okay with that, Haruka?" He pulled away so the raven could reply. The imploring look he received was all he needed. Makoto put an arm around the merman's shoulders and gently led them back to his house. He didn't think about how intimate they looked. Nor did he notice the faintest pink that splashed across the smaller teen's face.

* * *

Upon finally returning to the Tachibana household, Makoto immediately ushered his guest to the living room and pushed him onto the couch. "Can you wait here just a bit, Haruka? I'll go get something to calm you down."

He put down the groceries and got out the mugs. He took a minute to ponder which tea Haruka might like before placing the water to boil in the kettle. Why was he worrying about tea? Regardless, he randomly searched through the tea bag box before pulling out chamomile for the both of them. While waiting, the brunet looked across the counter for Haruka who had turned on the TV. It was on the cooking show again. Figures.

After getting the tea out, Makoto walked over to Haruka, placed the cup in front of him, and sat down next to the merman. "This is tea. It's good for calming the nerves, but try not to drink too fast because it's really hot." Just as he was saying that, he drank his tea a little too quickly and choked. Haruka's mouth twitched in amusement. Despite the burning sensation of tea down his throat, Makoto smiled brightly back, happy that Haruka seemed to be feeling better. And then the realization dawned on him.

"What were you doing there anyway, Haruka? Did you get lost on your way to the docks?" Makoto silently berated himself. He knew he should have walked the other boy home!

"No." Haruka shifted uncomfortably. "I forgot…" But the merman was cut off when he heard screams come from the TV and a loud yelp from the brunet. Makoto, having forgotten that the television was on, looked up to see a trailer for the new horror movie coming to theaters. He was terrified of those things! He really just wasn't good at all with any of those scary things. Pathetic as it was, Makoto grabbed Haruka, and, unsuccessfully, tried to hide behind the smaller boy.

"Ahh…. Haruka! Turn it off, turn it off!" The merman immediately did as he was told, albeit slightly confused as to why the larger male would be so afraid of the picture box with flashy lights. As soon as the television was off, the brunet pulled away and sighed in relief.

"Whew, thanks Haruka… e-eh? What's with that look?" The raven was giving him a look. A look that clearly said, 'Are you joking? That wasn't scary at all.'

"Nooo, you don't understand Haruka! It really is scary, and I'm not so good with any of that stuff…"

Blue eyes rolled upwards.

"Seriously! Like when that lady came out of the TV and said, 'Ohhhh where's my baby?' and then she crawled out with a really scary face and… it's not that funny, Harukaaa!"

The merman was trying very hard to keep himself from laughing out loud. He covered his mouth and had to turn away from the brunet, though his shoulders were shaking. The brunet continued spluttering before sighing in defeat. Okay, he was being pathetic. And yeah, this was getting a little embarrassing, especially when he was being such a wimp in front of Haruka, of all people.

"Fine then, laugh at me," and he puffed out one cheek in indignation. The merman darted a glance at him, and this time, let out a gentle laugh. Makoto whipped around to face the other. The blue-eyed boy was wearing a gentle smile, and his eyes flashed in amusement when the brunet stared with the same dumbfounded expression. In retrospect, Makoto thinks this is where he really fell.

Without thinking, he reached out to caress that perfect face. At the last moment, right before contact, Makoto pulled back. What the hell was he thinking? Haruka stared at him curiously.

He struggled to come up with something to talk about. Something that would keep him away from feeling these emotions he shouldn't be feeling. "I… uh, how about we watch a movie?"

Haruka looked confused. "Right, I'll go pick one out! Be right back!" And the brunet ran out of the room, face completely red. He walked upstairs and wandered over to the DVDs he kept in his room. He took the opportunity to flop himself onto the bed. He was exhausted and confused, and wasn't really sure what to think. Haruka's just a friend. Haruka's just a friend. Maybe if he kept repeating that to himself, it would actually be true.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this…" he groaned. A few minutes of curling up next to his pillow, he remembered that he was supposed to pick out a movie. He dragged himself out of bed, and grabbed a DVD at random. Without saying anything, he popped the disc into the DVD player and sat down next to Haruka.

For the next hour, they watched Disney's 'Frozen'* to which Makoto promptly fell asleep. He wasn't really into the movie, and only had it for the sake of his younger siblings. He tried his damnedest to stay awake, especially since for his guest, but he passed out anyway. Haruka, on the other hand, was captivated by the movie.

"Love is… putting someone else's needs before yours." Really? Did that mean he was in love? He pulled out an old locket. He wondered vaguely if this was proof.

"Olaf, you're melting…"

"Some people are worth melting for."

Maybe… Haruka looked at the human sitting beside him. He was sprawled on the couch, half-leaning onto it, and half-leaning onto Haruka himself. The merman wondered vaguely when it started. He was warned about dealing with humans, but he didn't think too deeply about it. Now it was all so strange and so… complicated, as well as painful.

Merfolk were not nearly so difficult to understand. At times, he wished he had never left the water and met the enthusiastic redhead that was his friend. Though, when he thinks of Makoto's smiling face, he can't help but smile himself and feel a strange warmth blossom inside his chest.

It's been a while since he's felt this way. At least this time, he was more or less aware of what was happening to him. He closed his eyes.

_"Let's swim together, Haru!"_

"It's Haruka, not Haru."

_"Jeez… don't need to be so cold. Just swim! I'll show you a sight you've never seen before!"_

"Will you show it to me again? I've forgotten what I saw."

_"Honestly, you're hopeless."_

…

_"I love you Haruka!"_

"I love you too."

_"I can't believe you. How could you let him die? I hate you… don't ever come near me again!"_

"I'm sorry… please, don't go."

He opened his eyes and realized that there were tears on his face. He wiped them off quickly. For comfort, he clutched at the rusty locket wrapped around his neck and held it tightly to his chest. All alone again… if that was how the other felt, did he really know what love was? Was his ignorance the reason why his precious friend left?

He heard a groan beside him and felt arms wrap around him. Before he knew it, he was on his back, with Makoto squeezing the life out of him. Somehow, the larger male had fallen over and pulled Haruka along with him.

The merman tried to wriggle out of the brunet's grasp; this was a bit too close for his liking… a memory of what happened earlier that evening came up in his mind. For once, he knew how it felt like to be prey. The man eyes were unfocused, but predatory at the same time. This embrace was different. It was close and a little tight, but it felt safe. It felt more like an anchor, it anything, that kept him safely in place.

He turned his head and stared at the clueless brunet. Haruka couldn't deny that he was good looking, but he would never say that out loud. There were times when he caught himself staring, but he was sure the clueless brunet never noticed.

Once upon a time, the merman would have done whatever he could've did to get away from any touch of any kind, even when it was with his past companion. He was warier back then, but Makoto was different. Instead of shunning him, he stayed by his side. Took him in without any questions and offered him a place in his home. Haruka was no fool on how humans felt about merfolk. Demons or freaks, either way, they were to be exploited and used.

It was wrong to be taking advantage of Makoto's kindness, and to even consider having feelings for a human. But… it couldn't hurt, just this once, to stay like this for the night? Could it?

He shuffled closer to the larger teen and rested his head against the other's chest. The couch didn't have much room and it wasn't the most comfortable spot to be squished together like this. But it was warm all the same. Makoto pulled him closer, muttering something about pillows.

Putting someone else's needs first? He supposed Makoto had done that a million times already for him. Did that mean anything… ? Maybe he should ask the brunet for another movie as research….

Before he knew it, Haruka fell asleep as well. And the two lay there, until morning, to which Makoto woke up spluttering and apologizing before curling up in a ball, embarrassed.

* * *

End Day 1.

* * *

**_I don't know if this is too much introspection on my part by whatevs. Spring break = productivity. I hoped you enjoyed this chappie and I appreciate your reviews/favorites/follows for this story again. I seriously mean it. When I saw the stuff I flailed and waved my arms while giggling madly as the rest of my family stared at me thinking, 'really lost it this time.' _**

**_*In reference to the Frozen quote, I would like you to refer to the disclaimer up above. _**

**_Anyways, that's the end of this particularly long author's note. Please drop a review on your way out. And thank you very much for reading/clicking/whatever-the-hell-you-did-to-read-this-story. _**


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